Auggie and Annie family and home
by Mariposa68
Summary: Auggie and Annie are married and have a little son. Their life as parents also includes explaining the world to a little 3-year old boy.
1. Chapter 1

Family and Home

Auggie swept his cane from the left to the right and enjoyed the sunshine on his face, the chirping birds and the fine summer weather. Annie walked right next to him whilst his 3-year old son Jeremy was holding Annie´s hand. The park was almost crowded on a late Sunday morning. Families and couples were enjoying the first summer weekend some of them even had settled down on the grass for a picnic.

After a while, Jeremy pulled at Annie´s hand, stopped, looked up to her and asked "Mummy, why does Daddy walk with a cane?" Auggie turned his head towards his son, made a few steps into Jeremy´s direction, squatted before the little boy and said "I need my cane to get around. Do you remember that I told you that I am blind?" Jeremy nodded. And Annie said to him "You have to give your Daddy an answer" Jeremy was confused "But I have Daddy given an answer, I just nodded" he protested and pouted. Auggie smiled, but felt a little helpless, too because it was difficult to explain to a 3-year old what it meant to be blind. "Look, I am blind, I cannot see when you are nodding"

"What is blind?" Jeremy asked now. Auggie thought he had found a way to explain to his son what blindness meant and he said "Do you remember that we always switch the lights off when you go to bed?" Jeremy nodded again, but remembered seconds later what Annie had just told him "Yes Daddy and then it is so dark, that I cannot see a thing. And sometimes I am scared" Auggie had now taken the hand of his son and they continued walking. Whilst strolling through the park Auggie explained "So, if you know how it feels, when the lights are off at night, you know what it means to be blind" Again, Jeremy stopped walking and looked up to Auggie and said "But Daddy, how can it be dark for you when the sun is out?" Annie had listened to the dialogue of father and son and before Auggie could answer again she said "Daddy´s eyes are broken, he cannot see the sun, it is like he is walking with the lights off all the time." Now Jeremy understood. He squeezed Auggie´s hand and asked with tears in his eyes "But then you must be scared all the time Daddy, when it is always dark for you" Auggie had heard the change in his son´s voice and knew that the little boy was about to cry. He stopped walking, handed his cane over to Annie, took his son, lifted him up to his own eye level and tried to meet his son´s gaze. He hugged him tightly and said "don´t worry Kiddo, Daddy is not scared, not anymore. This is just the way I am and I am happy with my life even if I cannot see you, the sky or the sun"

Jeremy had snuggled into Auggie´s arms and enjoyed the warm embrace of his Daddy. But then he asked again. "But what is the cane for?" Auggie continued "When you cannot see, you have to feel for things. Do you remember seeing that I feel for the things on the table before I take them? "Yes Daddy" Jeremy replied. "The cane helps me feel, what is in front of me when I walk. When I use it, I will not bump into things and hurt myself". Annie had watched the scene between father and son and was deeply moved. Auggie was a perfect father. He knew how to explain things and that was not always easy. Being 3 years old Jeremy had just come into the "why and how" phase. He had started to ask questions like "Why doesn´t the sun shine at night" or why is milk white?" The typical questions of a child that wanted to explore the world. And every answer to a question led to a new question. Annie was sometimes at her wits end when Jeremy´s why, when and how questions did not stop. Auggie however, had a natural talent to explain things and to satisfy his son´s thirst for answers.

He could not see, but he had is very own way to show the world to his son. Auggie could not see the birds in the garden but he could hear them chirping. He explained to his son how to distinguish the chirps of a robin from that of a blackbird.


	2. Chapter 2

The driver stopped the car in front of the house. Auggie got out and made his way to the door with his cane. The week had been long and not only he, had worked overtime, but also Virginia, the nanny who looked after Jeremy when he and Annie were in Langley. Auggie opened the door with his key, walked along the corridor and put his folded cane on the dresser. Then he made his way into the kitchen when he heard that Annie was already preparing dinner. The Bolognese sauce was bubbling on the stove and Annie just threw some Spaghetti into the boiling water, when Auggie hugged her firmly from behind and placed a kiss on her neck. "Hello Darling. I am so glad that the week is over I am looking forward to the first weekend with you in a long time and I hope we won´t be disturbed." Annie turned around and kissed him. Seconds later Jeremy stormed out of his room. He had noticed that Auggie was back home and ran down the stairs "Daddy, Daddy…!" Auggie turned into the direction of his son, squatted and the little boy ran towards him and right into his arms. Auggie took him, whirled him around and said "Hey champion, Daddy is back."

They all took a seat at the dining table and enjoyed the first dinner together of that week. Given the enormous work load, Auggie had not found any time for his work outs at the gym that week, not even time for a short walk. He had come home late and tired every night. So he decided to talk a walk after a refreshing shower. He needed some fresh air to clear his head. After the shower, Auggie walked to the closet and chose a pair of blue jeans and a light-blue T-shirt. As usual, the Braille clothes tags helped him to make the right choice. He had worn suit and tie all week long and was now longing for some casual and comfortable clothes. Completely dressed, he walked down the stairs and felt for his cane on the dresser in the corridor. But there was nothing. Confused and a bit annoyed he called "Annie do you know where my cane is?" Annie was still busy in the kitchen and was washing the dishes "Your cane? It should be on the dresser as always." And Auggie replied „No, but I am a 100% sure I put it there" Auggie had an excellent memory and he seldom forgot where he had put something. He couldn´t see and had to rely on his memory. Now Annie was a bit confused as well. Both walked into the kitchen that was directly connected to the living room area. Annie looked around and burst into laughter. Now Auggie was even more confused than before "Would you please tell me what is so funny?" he said. Annie had stopped laughing and replied "You won´t guess what your son is doing outside." Auggie got impatient "Come on, tell me" "Jeremy is walking around the garden with a blindfold and with your white cane in his hand. He almost fell into the flower bed"

Now both walked into the garden to check on their kid. When Jeremy heard the voices of his parents he ripped off the blue scarf, that he had used as a blindfold and before Annie could ask further questions, he said" I just wanted to know, what it feels like, to walk with a cane like Daddy does. But that is not so easy." Now Auggie started to laugh, too. He was also a bit happy, that his son wanted to know more about his world. He said" You wanted to know how to get around without seeing?" And Jeremy answered "Yes, Daddy. You said that you have to use a cane to get around in order to avoid obstacles. But that is not so easy." Auggie was deeply touched. "Come here my son" Auggie squatted again and wrapped his arms around the little boy. "I also had to practice a lot with the cane to get around with it, but YOU don't need a cane because you can see." Now Jeremy placed the cane in Auggie´s palm and said "Yes I can see and I am glad that I do not need this cane." Auggie smiled "I am glad, too that you don´t need a cane. It is enough, that I have to use one." And then he added "Would you like to go for a walk with me?" Jeremy looked up to him and said "Oh yes, and can I feed the ducks at the pond?" "Yes, you can do that."

Moments later Auggie and his son walked hand in hand towards the park and Auggie´s messenger bag contained a plastic bag with bread crumbs for the ducks. After a five-minute´s walk father and son reached the park. Auggie found the way to the pond with his cane following the quacking sounds of the ducks. He opened his messenger bag and took out the breadcrumbs. Jeremy was delighted. He threw the breadcrumbs into the water and the ducks approached one after the other to get the crumbs. Some of them started fighting for the bread crumbs and nudged and bit each other. One duck even waddled towards Jeremy and took the bread crumbs out of the little boy´s hand. Auggie listened to the ducks and to his son however, got a little distracted, when suddenly his cell phone beeped and he checked the message he had just received. Seconds later he heard a splashing sound and a scream. Oh my God, he thought. It seemed like Jeremy had fallen into the pond. He quickly put the cell phone back into his bag and swept his cane back and forth to find his son "Jeremy, Jeremy ….!" he called. Auggie got closer and closer to the pond and felt that his shoes were getting wet. He panicked and for the first time in years, he cursed his blindness and wished he could see. "Jeremy, Jeremy…..! Suddenly he heard a voice behind him say "Can I help you Sir?" Auggie was relieved, that someone had noticed how desperate he was. "Yes, please. I am here with my son. He was feeding the ducks and then I heard a splashing sound. He must have fallen into the water." The helpful man looked around and said "I can see him, there he is" The man took off his shoes walked into the water where Jeremy was lying face down. He grabbed the little boy, took him into his arms, carried him out of the water and started to reanimate Jeremy. Auggie´s face had turned pale. He was trembling with fear. Could he forgive himself if something had happened to his son just because he was blind? After a minute he heard the man say "I got him, he is coming back" Jeremy had opened his eyes and was now spitting. He had swallowed a lot of dirty water. Auggie was relieved and started to relax a bit. But he wanted to be sure that everything was alright. He took out his cell phone and dialed the number for emergencies.

Shortly after, an ambulance arrived and took care of the little boy. After fifteen minutes and a thorough check-up the doctor said. "I think that everything is okay with your son, but despite that I would like to keep him in hospital for that night to be sure." Auggie nodded, he was relieved that his son was alive. The paramedics pushed the stretcher into the ambulance car and helped Auggie to get in as well. Auggie cautiously searched for the hand of his son and squeezed it. Jeremy looked at him and asked "Daddy where are we going?" After ten minutes they reached the hospital and Auggie called Annie to tell her what happened. Annie was shocked. Immediately she ran to the garage, got out her car and drove to the hospital. Auggie sat on a bench next to the door of the ER and was fumbling with his folded cane. He always did that when he got stressed and nervous. Annie ran towards her husband, her look full of sorrow "Auggie, Auggie…where is he? Is he okay?" "I think so" Auggie said. He was still pale. After 10 minutes one of the doctors emerged and informed them "Mr. and Mrs. Anderson? Your son is okay. There is nothing to fear. We will keep him for the night and will release him tomorrow." "Thank you Doctor." Annie said with a faint smile. Auggie took her elbow and they followed the doctor to the little boy´s room. The following morning Annie and Auggie picked up their son at the hospital. Jeremy had slept well and the doctors assured them that there was no risk at all to take him home again. During their ride back home Jeremy suddenly asked "Daddy, were you scared when I fell into the water?" Auggie turned in his seat, trying to face his son and answered "Of course, I cannot see you and you did not answer. So I assumed that something happened to you." Jeremy looked up to Auggie and said "I was scared too when I fell. I guess I will never get so close to the water again." Auggie was a bit surprised and with a smile he said "Well, I am glad that you have learned something".


	3. Chapter 3

House and home part 3

Auggie stood on the sidewalk waiting for the beeping sound of the traffic light indicating that the lights were green. Right after the first beep, he was startled. Someone grabbed his arm and tried to drag him across the street. Like all blind people, Auggie hated it when someone grabbed his arm without asking just out of the blue and without a word. He was annoyed and said "Hey, what are you doing?" He shrugged off the hand, that had grabbed his arm and continued walking with his cane. Arriving on the other side of the street, he almost stumbled over the curb because he was so annoyed and did not concentrate. He had been blind for almost 10 years but it still annoyed him when people took him for helpless or assumed he might also be mentally retarded. Being dragged across the street was not only annoying, it was also scary.

Auggie walked along the sidewalk and made his way to the grocery store. Annie was still working and he wanted to prepare dinner. After two minutes he reached the shop. He found the door with his cane and walked in. He knew where the checkout was and walked towards it. The young lady stopped typing in the prices and looked up to him "Can I help you Sir?" "Yes." Auggie´s hands rested on top of his cane "I would appreciate some help." "Of course" The lady took the phone and called a colleague. A few seconds later a young man appeared. He grabbed Auggie´s arm and started walking. OH NO, NOT AGAIN Auggie thought and said as friendly as possible. "I would rather take your arm when you are guiding me." Both strolled through the aisles and whilst Auggie said what he needed, the young man put everything into a shopping basket. Auggie also had to remind the young man not to shout at him. He obviously assumed that Auggie was deaf, too. After 15 minutes the shopping was done. Auggie paid and put his groceries into his back pack and left. This was one of these days when his handicap bothered him. How could everyone assume that he was completely helpless?

At home, Auggie unpacked the groceries he had just bought and started cooking after he had wrapped an apron around his waist. He felt for the adhesive dots that marked the settings of the stove and chose the temperature. He put the chicken into the oven after he had seasoned it with pepper, salt and a variety of spices. Then he started peeling the potatoes, filled a pot with water and added some salt to the water. The timer also had little tactile dots in a 5 minutes rhythm. Auggie felt for the dots and set the time. After that he vanished into the shower. Annie would pick up Jeremy at Kindergarten today, so he had time.

After a refreshing shower Auggie returned to the kitchen. The potatoes were boiling and even the chicken smelled good already. In about half an hour Annie and Jeremy would be back and they would eat together. Three steps to the cupboard and Auggie opened the door. He took out plates and little bowls for the salad and opened the first drawer to get some cutlery. He set the table and started washing the salad. He would add the dressing a bit later. Twenty minutes later the door opened and he heard the voices of Annie and Jeremy. "Daddy, Daddy….!" The little boy ran into the kitchen like a whirlwind and tugged at Auggie´s apron. Auggie hugged him and kissed him on his little cheeks. " Daddy I am soooooooo….hungry" and then Jeremy peeked into the oven where the chicken was sizzling. "Mmmmhhhh….chicken…." he said and looked over to the table. "When will dinner be ready?" Auggie felt for the timer and the tactile dots and said "Well, in about 15 minutes everything should be ready." In the meantime Annie had opened the fridge and had taken out the bottle with the yoghurt dressing. She added some dressing to the salad and set the salad bowl on the table, too.

"Mmmhh…that is so yummy" Jeremy said whilst chewing. "Daddy should cook more often" Annie´s cooking skills were not the best and despite being blind Auggie was the better cook. Annie knew that but to hear that from her little son was something else.

Auggie sat at his desk in Langley, listening to some e-mails he had just received, when Joan entered the room. "Auggie? Could I have a word with you?" Auggie took off his headphones and listened "Sure" he said and turned into Joan´s direction. "We have a difficult situation and I need you and Annie to go on a mission together." Wow, Auggie thought. It had been a long time that he had not been out in the field. His blindness was an obstacle for him. "What kind of mission are we talking about?" Auggie asked incredulously. "Well, we have received information that a businessman from Egypt is selling weapons to Al Quaida. Knowing that you speak some Arabic, it would be convenient if you could accompany Annie to Cairo and give her the support she needs. Auggie was delighted. He would get out of his office again. That did not happen often since he had gone blind 10 years ago. "But what about Jeremy?" Auggie asked. "We would have to ask Virginia to stay with him while we are away.

Annie and Auggie were at the airport. They had just checked in and were waiting for their flight to be announced. For this mission, Auggie had decided to wear sunglasses. He rarely did that. But during a mission, the sunglasses supported a bit more the cliché of a blind man. He could also act pretty helpless in order to distract people. Nobody would assume that a blind man could be a spy. This tactical manoeuvre had already worked in Amsterdam when they had saved Eyal of of Khalid´s hands. After a long flight, they had finally arrived at their hotel. Auggie carefully explored the hotel room with his cane to memorize the position of the bed, the desk, the TV etc. He also found the bathroom and checked the position of the tub, the wash basin, the shower and the towel rack. He knew from experience that the first day in a hotel was always a bit difficult. Living without sight was never easy and it always took some time to get acquainted with the surroundings.

One day later

Auggie sat in a café sipping on a cup of coffee. He wore his sunglasses and had an almost invisible in-ear headset that connected him with Annie. Suddenly a little boy in rags approached begging for money. Auggie grabbed his wallet and took out one of the neatly folded bank notes and handed it over to the little boy. The boy thanked him in Arabic and started walking to the next table. Auggie knew, it was not always a good idea to give money to the beggars on the streets and to begging children. But now, that he was a father himself, it hurt him to know that other kids were less lucky than his own son. Seconds later Auggie heard Annie´s voice through his ear piece. "Auggie I need you to check on a guy named Sahid Al Basri" "Okay" Auggie replied. I will be back at the hotel in 5 minutes. I am on it." Auggie paid and had the waiter call him a taxi. Right after his arrival at the hotel Auggie booted his laptop and searched for the name Annie had given him. His hands slid across the portable Braille keyboard reading the information. Sahid al Basri was a manufacturer of textiles, but it seemed like he was also involved in money laundry for the Al Quaida group. After Auggie had found the information required, he called Annie.

The mission was a success. After a week Annie and Auggie returned to DC. Virginia was waiting at the airport with Jeremy. This time, Auggie did not use his cane. Annie was guiding him and with the other hand he trailed his suitcase on wheels behind. As soon as Auggie and Annie got closer to the exit, Jeremy spotted them and flew right into his parents´ arms. He had missed them. Then Jeremy took Auggie´s hand. He had already learned how to guide his father and they all made their way to the exit where a taxi was waiting for them. Virginia had greeted Auggie and Annie and had immediately left. She did not want to disturb the family reunion.


	4. Chapter 4

Family and home part 4

Auggie sat at his desk and had just finished the report he had to type for Joan, when he remembered that he had to pick up Jeremy at Kindergarten. The day had passed so fast, and he did not know what time it was. His sensitive fingers felt the time on his Braille watch and he realized, that he had to leave if he did not want to be late. He shut down the computer, opened the top drawer of his desk and fished out his white folding cane. Annie was still working and would come home late. So it was his job to take care of his son. Five minutes later Auggie was on his way to the bus stop. He needed a bit of fresh air so he had decided to take the bus instead of the regular car service. The bus stop was only about 500 m down the street and he knew the way. Auggie stood at the bus stop and waited. Two minutes later he heard the bus arrive, and walked towards the sound. He found the door with his cane, counted the steps whilst holding his cane in a vertical position and showed his ticket to the driver. The advantage of being blind was, that he could use public transport for free. Auggie took a seat close to the door and folded his cane on his lap.

After ten minutes the bus stopped Auggie got out and made his way to the Kindergarten to pick up his son. He counted the steps from the bus stop and after 300 m he stopped, crossed the street after listening to the traffic, and finally reached the building. Sweeping his cane back and forth he walked in. "Can I help you Sir?" He heard a voice right behind him "Yes, I am here to pick up my son Jeremy" The Kindergarten teacher looked at him and was a bit surprised. Then she said "Oh, you are Mr. Anderson? I did not know that…" and then she stopped. Auggie understood and replied "You did not know I was blind, right?" The young Kindergarten teacher blushed and said "Yes, up till now I have only met your wife. Would you please follow me." Auggie followed close behind her, using the sound of her heels for orientation. They entered a room where 5 or 6 children were still playing. When Jeremy spotted Auggie, he immediately ran towards him. "Let us go home Daddy" he said. The Kindergarten teacher looked at him and said "Jeremy, I guess there is still something to do for you before you can leave." With a roguish grin on his face Jeremy started walking to the table where he had sat before and started to collect the pieces of the puzzle he had been solving until Auggie had arrived. The other five kids in the room stared. They had never met Auggie before and they had never seen a blind person with a cane either. After Jeremy had cleared up the table he took Auggie´s hand and both left. The Kindergarten was not so far away from their house and therefore Auggie and Jeremy walked home. On their way home Jeremy suddenly asked "Daddy, do you know what it is like to see?" Auggie stopped, turned towards his son and replied "Yes, I have not always been blind. I went blind when I was an adult already." They continued walking along the sidewalk when Jeremy asked again "So, Daddy you know what red, blue or black looks like?" "Yes, I remember all the colours although I cannot see them anymore" Auggie answered and smiled because he found it interesting how much his little son worried about him.

The next morning Annie took Jeremy to Kindergarten. Soon after his arrival Jeremy found himself surrounded by his little friends. They all asked him "Was that your Daddy yesterday?" And Jeremy answered "Yes, my Dad picked me up yesterday." "And why did he hold that strange white stick in his hands?" Susan asked "That is not a stick, that is a cane." Jeremy said in an almost condescending tone. "And what is this cane for?" Susan insisted. "My Daddy is blind, he cannot see and he uses the cane to get around." Jeremy explained. "With the white cane he can feel what is in front of him when he walks." Susan still did not understand what Jeremy had explained to her but she said "Ok" and went to look for an interesting toy to play with. "You are a poor boy" one of the other kids said. "Why?" Jeremy asked. "Because your Daddy cannot see and he cannot go for a walk with you, he cannot read stories to you and he cannot play with you." Now Jeremy was annoyed. He loved his father and shouted "You are a liar! What you say is not true! My Daddy reads to me fairy tales every evening from his Braille book, we go to the park to feed the ducks, he plays with me and he knows the names of ALL THE BIRDS when he hears them chirping in the garden." The other boy was impressed but still a bit incredulous and asked "But how can he read when he cannot see?" "He reads with his fingers from a book with little dots." Jeremy said. He was proud that he knew so much about his Daddy and could defend him. "Nobody can read with their fingers" the other boy said "That is impossible." "But MY DADDY CAN and he is the best Daddy of the world! If you do not believe me, you can come and visit me and see for yourself." Jeremy said.

Late in the afternoon Auggie returned to pick up Jeremy. He had memorized the way to the room and swept his cane to find the door. Jeremy saw him and asked "Daddy, can we take Justin home with us. He wants to play with me?" "It is okay with me" Auggie said "But we have to ask his Mum first." Minutes later Justin´s Mum arrived and allowed her son to play with Jeremy. Hand in hand Auggie and Jeremy walked home and Justin followed them. The boy was surprised how easily Auggie handled the cane. When they arrived at home, Auggie opened the fridge to get out some milk and went to look for some cookies, too. Jeremy and Justin enjoyed their little snack and after a while Jeremy said "Daddy, could you read a story to us? Maybe the one about the little cat and the three mice? Justin does not believe you can read." "Of course I can read." Auggie said and then he turned into Jeremy´s direction and said "Go, and get the book from my desk. You know which one it is."

Jeremy left the room and seconds later he returned with a huge Braille book in his hands. Auggie had taken a seat on the couch and now Jeremy placed the book on Auggie´s lap and snuggled down next to him whilst Justin took a seat in an armchair. Auggie let his fingers slide across the pages, found the page with the story that Jeremy wanted to hear and started reading "_Once there was a little cat named Sally and her best friends were three mice_…." Justin was fascinated and watched Auggie when he slid his fingertips across the pages. By the end of the story Jeremy asked "Do you now believe that my Daddy can read?" Justin nodded. Two hours later Justin´s mother arrived to take her son home. When she walked through the door Justin ran towards his Mum and said "Mummy Mummy…..Mr. Anderson can read with his hands." "That is impressive." Justin´s mother replied and then she added "Thank you Mr. Anderson for letting my son play with Jeremy". "It was a pleasure." Auggie smiled. And then Justin and his Mum left. "You are the best Daddy and I do not mind that you cannot see." Jeremy said and looked up to his Dad. "And I am proud to have a son like you" Auggie answered and pulled Jeremy into a hug.


End file.
